Child Abuse

Child Maltreatment on Brain Development : Implications for Practice and Policy
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
The knowledge we have gained from research examining the effects of maltreatment on brain development can be helpful in many ways. With this information, we are better able to understand what is happening within the brains of children who have been abused

Effects of Child Maltreatment on Early Brain Development
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Brief periods of moderate, predictable stress are not problematic; in fact, they prepare the child to cope with the general world. The body's survival actually depends upon the ability to mount a response to stress.

Treatment Of Child Sexual Abuse
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Treatment of child sexual abuse is a complex process. Orchestration of treatment in the child's best interest is a genuine challenge. It is often difficult to know how to proceed because there are so few outcome studies of treatment effectiveness.

Definitions, Scope, and Effects of Child Sexual Abuse
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Child sexual abuse can be defined from legal and clinical perspectives. Both are important for appropriate and effective intervention. There is considerable overlap between these two types of definitions.

Child Sexual Abuse : Intervention and Treatment
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Emotional reactions to child sexual abuse are to be expected and are normal. However, it is important to recognize them and to prevent them from impairing our professional judgment or interfering with our role performance.

Acts of Omission: Child Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
More children suffer from neglect in the United States than from physical and sexual abuse combined. In spite of this, neglect has received significantly less attention than physical and sexual abuse by practitioners, researchers, and the media.

Substance Abuse and Child Maltreatment
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Substance abuse has a major impact on the child welfare system. It is estimated that 9 percent of children in this country (6 million) live with at least one parent who abuses alcohol or other drugs.

Prevention of Child Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
The tragic consequences of child neglect suggest that significantly greater efforts should be directed toward prevention. Prevention requires the development of a range of services to parents at risk of neglect and their children, who are potential

Consequences of Child Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Child neglect can have devastating effects on the intellectual, physical, social, and psychological development of children. Numerous studies have documented significant developmental problems in children who have experienced inadequate, neglectful parent

Understanding the Causes of Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Effective intervention to prevent or remedy child neglect requires an understanding of the causes. However, specification of the causes of neglect is hampered by the limited research on child neglect.

Types of Child Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
The Study of National Incidence and Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect sought to overcome the problem of nonuniform definitions of child neglect by utilizing a standard definition of neglect.

Defining Child Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Differences in definitions of child neglect in State laws and in community standards reflect the significant variations in the judgments of professionals and nonprofessionals concerning what constitutes child neglect.

Child Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
This report presents a broad overview of issues related to child neglect in the United States. The report examines aspects of child neglect that can help people better understand its causes and effects, and provides information that can be used to develop

Fathers and Case Planning : Child Abuse
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
There is little literature on the rehabilitation of fathers who have maltreated their children, as well as the role that fathers can play in helping children who have been abused.

Fathers' Impact on Child Maltreatment
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
A father in the home can be a strong protective factor for children. A father also may play a role in child maltreatment. This chapter first looks at the definition and impact of child maltreatment and presents data on the perpetrators of child abuse

Parenting the Sexually Abused Child
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
Written for prospective and adoptive parents, this fact sheet describes the effects of sexual abuse and provides recommendations for caring for sexually abused children. Topics covered include the physical and behavioral signs of abuse, issues for boys

Child Maltreatment 2004 Report
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
This factsheet presents excerpts from Child Maltreatment 2004, a report based on data submissions by the States for Federal fiscal year 2004. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System was developed by the Children's Bureau

Child Abuse Signs and Symptoms
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
The first step in helping abused or neglected children is learning to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect. The presence of a single sign does not prove child abuse is occurring in a family; however, when these signs appear repeatedly or in comb

Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect
by Child Welfare Information Gateway
An estimated 872,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in 2004. While physical injuries may or may not be immediately visible, abuse and neglect can have consequences for children, families, and society that last lifetimes, if not generation

That Was Then ...
A Brother's Journey; Surviving a Childhood of Abuse
by Richard B. Pelzer
In A Child Called It Dave Pelzer described the terrible treatment he received at the hands of his mother and his brother Richard. Fortunately for Dave, he was removed from the Pelzer household by the time he was twelve years old.